Up The Pagoda Bonus Instalment
by Emerald Princess of Vernea
Summary: A bonus instalment of a complete novelisation of Final Fantasy VII. This instalment covers Yuffie and her battles in the Pagoda in Wutai. See Instalments 1, 2 and 3 for the rest of the story. Please read and review!
1. Trial One: Gorky

**Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment**

**Emerald Princess of Vernea**

**Bonus Instalment: Up the Pagoda**

**Chapter One**

Yuffie ran quickly across the stone path. Her feet darted across the stone, moving so fast that they were only a blur. Her dark hair flew freely behind her and across her face, but she just brushed those loose strands aside and kept on running. All she could hear was the sound of the wind blowing past her ears, her mind completely focused on the daunting task ahead.

She passed underneath a grove of trees, the shadows of their leaves creating tiny, dancing patterns on the stone steps as she jumped up, more than a few steps at a time, and broke out into the clearing. The pagoda was ahead of her – standing like the overgrown watchtower it was designed to be.

But the pagoda was there for another use, and for a use that Yuffie knew so well. Inside that pagoda were the Five Sacred Gods – the most powerful warriors in all of Wutai. The pagoda was the test of strength, built to test any warrior who dared to try and climb its five floors. Yuffie had tried many times to climb the pagoda, but had never made it past the first floor. Today, however, she felt strength she had never felt before, and in her mind she knew that she would climb the pagoda today.

She stepped up to the slide-open doors and stopped, taking enough time to gaze up at the five floors standing over her. On each of those five floors, the Five Sacred Gods were waiting for her. She glanced back long enough to spot Cloud and the others walking up behind her, before she grabbed hold of the doors and pushed them open. Light poured onto the floor of the pagoda, falling upon a strange figure sitting at the back of the room.

"Oh, Miss Yuffie!" the figure exclaimed, raising a hand to blot out the strong rays of light that were falling on his face. He blinked for a few seconds, and peered out at Yuffie. "Will you be climbing the pagoda today?" he asked, once his eyes had adjusted to the light.

Gorky, or 'Old Goat' as Yuffie liked to call him, was the master of the first floor in the pagoda trials. The first of the Five Sacred Gods, Yuffie had never been able to defeat him before. He was fairly old, but was by no means weak. Every time she had challenged Gorky he had defeated her with ease, but Yuffie had no intention of letting the same thing happen this time.

Yuffie let go of the doors and stepped confidently into the pagoda, glancing around momentarily at the pagoda's four walls. She always felt a strange sense of pride whenever she stepped into the pagoda. It was as though the power of Da Chao and the Sacred Gods flowed within it, empowering her with each step she took. It was a silly thing really, but Yuffie could not deny it.

"Yeah, that's it," she replied finally, stopping and putting her hands on her hips.

A small smile appeared on Gorky's old face, and he slowly climbed to his feet. The folds of his green kimono fell loose as he stood up, and nodded at the young ninja. "Then I, Sacred Gorky, will be your opponent on the first floor!"

Yuffie nodded back, and reached behind her to unhook her shuriken from her belt. She noticed as she pulled the weapon round that the blades were looking a little blunt and worn – worn down from the many fights that she had fought her way through since joining Cloud and the others.

Before the first trial started, Gorky stepped back and clapped his hands loudly. Seconds later footsteps could be heard echoing from the open doorway in the back wall. A young boy then stepped out, pushing his black hair out of his eyes and brushing his top down. He barely glanced at Cloud and the others as they stood waiting at the pagoda's entrance, and looked at Yuffie. Yuffie remembered this boy – he often watched the first floor fights.

"Yo!" he said in a loud, bratty voice, filled with arrogance. "They call me Shake! I'll be watchin' your fight with Gorky!"

Now that everything was prepared, Gorky turned back to Yuffie. "Then, begin!" he announced loudly. He raised his arms up to the air and called loudly into the pagoda, "Power Change!"

Yuffie prepared herself as a deep blue cloud began to rise up from the ground, seeping out from the floorboards around Gorky's feet. The cloud grew larger as it rose up, swirling around Gorky's legs and chest and finally his face, until he was completely encased in blue cloud. Faint bolts of lightning crashed loudly deep within that cloud, but Yuffie could not see anything that was going on inside, although she knew what was happening. Inside that cloud Gorky would be changing, transforming into the perfect shape to test the limits of Yuffie's power.

Before the transformation could be completed, Yuffie leapt up off the ground and threw her shuriken out in front of her, hoping to make the first attack while Gorky was in a vulnerable position. The blade zipped through the air at high speed, heading towards the swirling cloud.

As the blade drew near, a blur of blue and dark pink zipped out from the depths of the cloud. It narrowly missed the shuriken as it flew out and the weapon flew harmlessly into the back wall, its sharp blades sticking into the wood. The creature that emerged from the cloud kept on going up towards the ceiling, where it stopped and turned to look down at Yuffie.

The creature that Gorky had become looked very different from the normal, human Gorky, and it was easy to see why he was known as one of the Sacred Gods. The magic of the cloud had transformed him into an ominous winged beast, with strong muscles swelling beneath dark blue and pink skin that looked to be as though as nails. Two powerful wings rose up out of the creature's shoulder blades, its head large and with two sharp red eyes that glared out at Yuffie as she landed on the ground.

Yuffie was awestruck for a moment, even though she had seen Gorky transform into this creature many times before. It was an amazing reminder to her that Gorky was not just an old goat who sat for hours on end in an empty pagoda. He was a strong and powerful warrior, and she knew better than to take him lightly.

The monster-Gorky opened his mouth and gave a heart-filled roar that shook the whole first floor of the pagoda. His claws dug into the wood as he pushed himself off, diving down towards Yuffie while she stood defenceless in the middle of the room.

Yuffie was well prepared for his attack. As the beast drew closer to her she jumped up off the ground, missing the strong swipe of the monster's claws as he tried to claw her. Now up in the air she brought her feet down hard on his head, stamping hard. She was there for only a second, for she used that downward momentum to push herself back up, while Gorky was forced onto the ground.

That momentum carried Yuffie up and up into the air, flipping her backwards towards the back wall. She pushed out her feet again and touched the wall, her hands quickly grabbing the loose ends of the wooden pillars that she could grab onto. She did not stay there for long, for she used one hand to pull her shuriken free of the wall and pushed herself off again, aiming for Gorky.

She struck out with her shuriken as she neared Gorky, who quickly leapt up out of the way. The edge of the blade struck Gorky's face as he flew past, cutting a deep gash into the leathery flesh. It was the first time Yuffie had ever managed to do any kind of damage to Gorky, for usually he was much too fast for her. Now it seemed that she was the faster one, and that could be to her advantage.

She did not stop while she was on the ground and kept on running forward, trying hard not to lose the momentum that she had built up. She ran straight on towards the open pagoda door, where the others were still standing and watching the fight. Most of them moved aside as they saw her charging towards them, but Barret did not notice her until she was right up in front of him.

By then it was too late for Barret to move, but that was what Yuffie wanted. In a single, bounding leap she jumped onto his leg and then onto his gun-arm, using his stature and strength as a stepping-stone to flip her up into the air again.

Now upside down, Yuffie looked around for her target. She soon spotted Gorky, flying around the back wall, ready to swerve and dive down to move out of her way, and then strike her with an upward attack. Yuffie was already ahead of him and threw her shuriken with all her might.

The weapon zipped through the air, spinning like a top and whirring like a chainsaw gone wild. Gorky looked up in time and ducked down to avoid the blade, which was exactly what Yuffie knew he would do.

The shuriken struck, slashing straight through the middle of Gorky's right wing as his body ducked down. The four sharp blades cut through with ease and came straight out of the other side, cutting through the left wing as well before flying clear. With his two wings damaged Gorky tumbled down towards the floor of the pagoda, landing with a loud crash.

Yuffie was not done there. As the shuriken spun round and flew back to her like a boomerang, Yuffie caught it lightly in her fingers and threw it quickly down towards the ground.

This time Gorky had no chance to dodge the blade. While he lay vulnerable on the ground with his bleeding wings the shuriken came zipping down and struck him right in the middle of his back. Two of the blades became lodged there, stuck deep in the middle of Gorky's back.

That was all that was needed to finish Gorky off. That powerful strike struck so deep that it went right to the heart of the monster – to the source of its magic. Yuffie came down from the ceiling and landed firmly on the ground, before looking up and turning towards the Gorky-monster.

As she turned, she saw something strange begin to happen to Gorky. The strange blue cloud appeared again, this time seeping out of the deep wounds caused by Yuffie's shuriken. It seeped out like blood, dripping onto the ground and beginning to swirl around the monster's body, encasing him entirely in cloud once again.

Yuffie watched as the cloud swirled and twirled around the floor. She almost jumped when she saw something metal fly out of the cloud, and quickly raised her hand to catch her shuriken as it flew back to her.

The cloud slowly began to fade again, and Yuffie saw that there was nothing left of the Gorky-monster. The monster had gone, and Gorky had returned to his normal human self again, kneeling on the floor. He began to stand up again, and Yuffie held up her shuriken again.

However, there was no need for Yuffie to fight again, as Gorky turned to her and smiled. "Here I am, Miss Yuffie!" he said cheerfully.

Yuffie lowered her shuriken and shrugged her shoulders. "Of course!" she replied. Although her expression did not show it, she was beaming inside. This was the very first time in her whole life that she had defeated Gorky. Now she could move up to the second floor and face the second Sacred God!

The sound of clapping came from the corner of the room, and Yuffie remembered that Shake had been watching the fight. She turned to him and saw him clapping, a somewhat surprised smile on his face.

"Hmm, I thought you were just a wild girl, but you handled that pretty well!" he said, sounding surprised as well. He nodded his head towards the door behind him. "Well, we'll see how you do on the next one…"

With that, Shake turned and walked through the door, walking up the stairs to the second floor. Yuffie meanwhile turned back to Cloud and the others and grinned, showing her excitement for the first time. Cloud nodded slightly back at her, and Yuffie beamed even more. Then she turned and ran off towards the open door, running up towards the second floor of the pagoda to face her second trial.

* * *

**Emerald:** And this is the first chapter of the 'Up the Pagoda' instalment done. I'm trying to do one floor per chapter, so we should finish around Chapter 05. 


	2. Trial Two: Shake

**Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment**

**Emerald Princess of Vernea**

**Chapter Two**

Yuffie kept her head held high as she ran up the stairs towards the second floor of the pagoda. Her eyes were firmly fixed on each of the stairs as she ran up, her mind entirely focused on defeating her next opponent. Her shuriken was still in her hand – the blades now wiped clean of blood, ready to fight again.

The young ninja was somewhat nervous as she powered her way up the wooden stairs, followed closely by Cloud and the others. This was the first time she had ever defeated Gorky, and so this was the first time she had ever climbed the stairs to the second floor. Defeating the Sacred Gods was the only way to climb the pagoda – there were no exceptions to this rule. And right now Yuffie was pumped up, and ready to defeat each and every one of the Sacred Gods.

The door to the next floor was just ahead of her, and Yuffie narrowed her eyes and ran harder. The door was already open, she could see the light beyond, and she felt a sudden surge of anxiety hit her, making her feel sick to her stomach. She very nearly stopped, overcome by her anxiety. But no, Yuffie just swallowed hard and pushed away that large lump in her throat, and burst through the door and onto the second floor.

She had expected a change of scenery as she ran out onto the second floor, but was surprised to find that the room was exactly the same as the first floor. The décor was identical, from the panelled walls to the door leading to the third floor. For a moment Yuffie gazed at that door, wondering if she would be able to make it to the third floor. Of course before that she had to defeat the God of the second floor, so she turned her attention ahead of her to look at her next opponent.

To her surprise, she saw that Shake was standing ahead of her, and not her next opponent. The little kid, who was probably no more than maybe ten or twelve years old, was standing where her opponent should have been, his arms folded as though he was waiting for something. Yuffie looked around the room for her opponent, clearly unable to grasp the obvious. The only people in the room were herself, Shake, Cloud and the others. Normally they would not be allowed to climb the pagoda, but since they were accompanying Yuffie, Gorky had made an exception.

When she was finished looking around the otherwise empty room, Yuffie turned back to Shake. "Who's next?" she demanded of him, glaring at him through fierce eyes.

Shake raised an eyebrow and scowled at her angrily, wondering if the girl was joking or not. He would have thought it was obvious considering where he was standing, and wondered if she was as dumb as she looked. "Are you blind? I'm right here!"

Now it was Yuffie's turn to wonder whether he was joking. She stared at his face, and when it finally hit her that he was being serious, she jumped back in shock. "What?" she asked in disbelief. "I gotta fight a punk?"

"Heh! Punk," Shake replied, smirking slyly as he glared at Yuffie. "I'm more of an adult than some bimbo girl!"

"Wh, what did you say?" Yuffie snapped angrily, tightening her grip on her shuriken. She longed to run over there and wipe that little smirk off his face – give him a bit of this and a bit of that, and end it all with a great big swiping of THAT! She could not believe that a little kid would be the God in charge of the second floor. She clenched her fists as she swiped her shuriken in front of her, showing off her skill.

Unfortunately, Shake did not seem to be in the least bit intimidated by her anger. He just watched as she twirled her shuriken round and round, the smile on his face getting wider and wider as she got angrier and angrier.

"See what I mean?" he asked her, pointing at her rudely. "That kind of anger's what makes you so immature" Shake then pushed himself away from the wall and took a few steps towards her, standing in the starting spot. He then raised his fists, ready to fight. "Don't pat yourself on the back until you beat me!"

Never one to back down from a challenge, Yuffie also raised her fists, glaring at Shake through the gap between her blades. "Now watch…!" she said.

Again Shake laughed at her anger. "'Bout the only thing your do really good is breath!" he said. He was more amused by her than afraid, and clearly enjoyed making her even more angry. "Sure you're brave enough to fight?"

"Stop yappin'!" Yuffie ordered, losing her patience with the brat.

"Hm, so someone finally got past Gorky."

Yuffie looked out of the corner of her eyes as someone stepped out of the third floor doorway. This person was female, but dressed very manly as she was the same kind of kimono as Gorky, although hers was white and had a purple tunic over the top. She had a head of very long black hair that had been pulled up to the top of her head, secured by an elastic band. She stopped in the corner by the door, looking out at Shake and Yuffie.

Now Yuffie understood. Shake hadn't just been some observer watching the fight. As one of the Sacred Gods of the pagoda, he had been there to referee the fight, and make sure that the challenger did indeed earn the right to progress to the next floor. That meant that if she defeated Shake, then this woman would be her next opponent on the third floor.

"So, I guess it's time for Chekhov to stand in…" Shake said, shrugging his shoulders. Chekhov was there to make sure that Yuffie passed fairly, but Shake knew that she would not reach the third floor. He turned back to Yuffie, giving her his best smirk. "Here I go, brat! Speed Change!"

The second trial then began. Shake closed his eyes and threw his arms up into the air. At the same time a white cloud began to rise up from the ground, seeping out through the cracks in the floorboards just as Gorky's had done. Instead of swirling around Shake the cloud gathered and formed a ghostly barrier between Shake and Yuffie, like a line daring her to cross. When the wall was fully complete Shake lowered his arms and charge forward, straight through the wall.

When he emerged from the cloud, he was no longer the bratty little boy known as Shake. As with Gorky, the magic of the cloud transformed his body into that of a monster. The monster that Shake became would test the limits of Yuffie's speed and accuracy, forcing her to focus.

The monster he became was very different from Gorky's, and one that Cloud recognised from the rocky plains around Cosmo Canyon. The monster looked like some oversized penguin, with sharp green spikes on the end of its fur-tipped fins and tail. Its eyes were a piercing but empty green, and its hair was a fiery mass of green and red.

The Shake-monster zipped out of the cloud, moving so fast that Yuffie barely had time to dodge. As she jumped aside she felt the sharp sting of the spikes as they scraped her skin, and when she looked down she saw a number of quick cuts in her thigh. The monster was incredibly fast – much faster than she had imagined.

By the time Yuffie turned around, Shake was on the attack again. He zoomed towards her, his clawed feet scraping loudly on the ground as he ran. Again Yuffie was forced to jump up into the air to avoid him, but once again she felt the sting of his spikes as they scraped into her skin.

The longer the battle went on, the more it seemed to become a game of dodge than a fight. Shake moved so fast that Yuffie could not make any kind of attack, for by the time she finished dodging one assault, Shake was already making his next. It was all Yuffie could do just to avoid him.

As Shake began his tenth assault, Yuffie had an idea. As she landed she jumped straight up into the air, for once completely missing Shake. As Yuffie jumped up higher, she threw her shuriken ahead of her. The blades caught onto the wooden ceiling and became stuck.

Yuffie grabbed onto the blade as she caught up to it and swung her body upside down, pushing her feet firmly against the ceiling. The shuriken did not fall from the ceiling and Yuffie remained perched upside down on the ceiling, looking down at the arena below her.

Down below, Shake looked up at her through his fierce green eyes. For a moment Yuffie could have sworn that beak-face of his was smirking. He knew that Yuffie could not move fast enough to attack him – she didn't even know where he was coming from half the time.

"What's the matter, brat?" he squawked loudly, his voice distorted as he tried to speak through the beak of the bird monster. "Think you can hit me from up there?"

Yuffie's lip curled angrily, barely able to contain her rage. "Shut up!" she shouted back at him. "I'll get you when I'm ready, LOUDMOUTH!"

Then Yuffie stopped, as an idea suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. 'Loudmouth'… Of course, that would be her advantage in this battle. Shake had transformed into a creature designed for speed, and with those claws and the wooden floors, he was making an awful lot of noise when he made his attacks. If she could listen to him carefully, she should be able to anticipate where he was going to attack.

Her mind made up, Yuffie opened her eyes and sneered down at Shake. "Watch out, brat!" she said, returning the insult. "I'm comin' down!"

With that Yuffie pulled her shuriken free from the ceiling and pushed herself down towards the ground. As she expected Shake made a sudden dash away from the middle, moving out of her way as she came falling down, flipping over just in time so she didn't land on her head.

Instead of getting up again, Yuffie remained where she was and closed her eyes, trying to listen for the sounds of Shake moving. She could easily hear the sound of his clawed feet as they scrambled across the wood, moving round and round the room at top speed to taunt her. Yuffie kept her eyes closed and followed the sounds of the scrambling, waiting for that moment when Shake would attack.

That moment came soon enough. The rhythm of the scrambling became erratic, as Shake swerved towards her. Yuffie instantly knew which direction he was coming from and spun round, swinging her shuriken behind her with a mighty cry.

She hit him right on the mark. The blade sliced through the creature's neck, and the head went flying up into the air. The monster's legs meanwhile kept on running, skidding and crashing limply into the wall. Yuffie stood solid, until she heard the head crash on the floor, and turned around.

Behind her, she could see the two halves of the monster. As she watched, white smoke began to rise from the ground around the two halves, absorbing them back into the magical forces. By the time the clouds faded only Shake remained, standing where the legs had fallen by the wall. He looked pretty angry, and as Yuffie watched him, he kicked at the wall.

"URRGRAAAAGH!" he shouted, annoyed. "So you CAN fight a bit!"

Now it was Yuffie's turn to smirk, the pleasure clearly visible in her face. "Of course!" she exclaimed. She made no attempt to hide the smugness in her voice. She soon stopped smirking as she heard an amused laugh behind her.

"Ho, ho, ho…" Chekhov mused, applauding the battle. "It's been a while since I felt pain…" She then turned and walked back out of the door, heading up towards the third floor again.

Yuffie watched her go, feeling the reality of the situation slowly sink in. She had just gained access to the third floor of the pagoda, and earned her chance to fight Chekhov. Already her body was beginning to feel a little weary, but she was not about to give up just yet.

Walking over towards the door, Yuffie paused for a moment and looked back at Shake. The boy was still sulking by the wall, glaring at Yuffie through angry eyes. Yuffie responded by sticking out her tongue rudely, before she laughed and headed up the stairs towards the next floor of the pagoda.

* * *

**Emerald:** A little note about Chekhov. I sometimes find it a little hard to tell whether NPC's are male or female. I got the impression from looking at Chekhov that it was a woman, so I stuck with that. Sorry if any of you prefer her as male. 


	3. Trial Three: Chekhov

**Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment **

**Emerald Princess of Vernea**

**Chapter Three**

Yuffie followed Chekhov up onto the third floor of the pagoda, now halfway up the building. Cloud and the others were still trailing silently behind her, not really sure what they should be doing other than watching and supporting Yuffie through each of her fights. They felt a little like lost-parts inside this pagoda, but Yuffie was a member of their team, and so they continued to follow her on.

Yuffie felt her anxiety grow as she followed Chekhov up the dark stairs. Like Gorky and Shake, Chekhov was one of the Sacred Gods, and a master of one of the sacred elements. Gorky had tested her power, while Shake's trial was to test her speed and endurance. She wondered what Chekhov was going to test, and if she would be a very difficult opponent. Of course, the higher she went up the pyramid she knew her opponents would get tougher, but she would not let that stop her.

Her concentration was broken as she reached the top of the stairs, nearly walking into Chekhov's back as she stopped to unlock the door to the third floor. When she was done Chekhov slowly pushed open the door and gestured for Yuffie to move on ahead of her. Yuffie hesitated for a moment, looking into Chekhov's encouraging face. Chekhov seemed to sense Yuffie's hesitance and slowly nodded her head at the girl. That seemed to be enough for Yuffie, as she nodded back and then bravely stepped through the door onto the third floor.

As Yuffie had expected, the third floor chamber was exactly identical to the two floors below, with nothing new to show her that she was now halfway up the pagoda. As she walked in with the others behind her, Yuffie let her eyes wander over to the open door at the opposite end of the room. The door that led up to the fourth floor. The fourth floor… one floor away from the fifth and final floor. She felt her heart skip a beat, suddenly energised at the thought of making it all the way to the top.

When she was finished gazing at the door, Yuffie noticed that there was someone else already standing in the chamber. For a moment Yuffie wondered if Chekhov WAS her opponent, until she noticed that this person was standing in the observer's spot, which told her that this person was the master of the fourth floor.

She took a quick moment to examine this person as she walked into the chamber. He looked about as old as Chekhov, not old, but certainly old enough to know a trick or two. He wore a long green-blue kimono covered by a dark green tunic, with two long strips of green down the side, touching the floor. Yuffie could not see the colour of his hair, since a hat of the same colours covered it up. When he saw Yuffie staring at him he smiled, which eased her nerves.

"So even Shake's been defeated," he said. He did not seem too surprised, which surprised Yuffie. He then turned to look at Chekhov, who was locking the door again. "It's been a while since you had to fight, Chekhov."

Chekhov nodded in agreement, as she placed the key down on the ground beside the door for safety. She then moved into her starting position, in front of Yuffie. "Unfortunately, this is as far as it goes," she said. "Staniv, you watch over there."

"That ain't going to happen!" Yuffie said loudly, speaking up for the first time. She had recovered from her initial hesitance now and her confidence had returned, along with the uncontrollable urge to fight that was growing within her fists. "I'll teach you about the strength of youth!"

Chekhov narrowed her eyes and glared at the girl, clearly insulted by Yuffie's insinuation that she was too old to fight. "Keep mouthing off like that, little girl, and you're going to get burned," she warned sternly.

Yuffie shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, clearly not too upset by Chekhov's threat. "I got insurance," she replied.

"Ho, ho, ho," Chekhov laughed. She found Yuffie's arrogance and confidence in her own skills rather amusing. After her first two victories it was clear that Yuffie was on a high, and underestimating whom she was up against. "We'll see if you still talk like that after you taste some of my Sacred Magic…" She stepped back and lifted her arms up into the air. "Magic Change!"

Yuffie watched as Chekhov gave her a mysterious, knowing grin before she bowed down, exaggerating her movements with a sense of magical flair. Yuffie then watched as the smoke, this time pink in colour with shades of purple, began to rise up from the floor and encase the older woman. Yuffie could not see through the cloud no matter how hard she tried, but she knew that Chekhov was transforming into some kind of magical creature inside it.

Instead of waiting to see what kind of creature Chekhov would become, Yuffie decided to employ her tactic of attacking before the transformation could be completed, and gain a surprise advantage. The quicker she could end this battle the better, and then she could hurry on to the fourth floor. Cloud and the others may have had the patience to come with her so far, but by now they were probably beginning to get a little impatient. She lifted her shuriken, peering out between the blades at the cloud, and then charged forward into the smoke.

The smoke was much thicker than she had expected it to be. As she penetrated the wall she realised that the smoke was warm, and left a strange tingly, prickly feeling against her skin, her cells reacting to the cloud's magic. She even felt a little smothered, feeling the smoke run down her throat.

She could not see Chekhov at first – the smoke was just too thick for her to see anything. But as she moved forward she could hear a faint, high-pitched screech directly in front of her. Before Yuffie could react, something suddenly rose up from the smog and stopped right in front of her face. Yuffie's breath stopped, as she found herself face to face with three pairs of narrow, fierce yellow eyes.

Startled by the creature's sudden appearance, Yuffie hesitated. By the time she recovered and began to swipe her shuriken, the monster was already moving. Yuffie felt the hot sting of two long, vine-line hands punch into her stomach. They must have been charged with some kind of energy, for they sent her flying back through the cloud.

Aeris gasped in fright as she saw the girl fly back out of the cloud, with faint sparks of electrical light energy flickering all over her body. She was heading right towards them, and as she approached Cid stepped forward and quickly raised his spear. As Yuffie came flying past she grabbed hold of the spear with her free hand, and quickly pushed her feet up against the wall. Perched on the spear, she looked up as the cloud at the other end of the room began to fade.

Chekhov had become a rather terrifying-looking creature. It was no more than 4ft in height, and looked much like a snake that was standing on its tail. Its body widened the close it got to the head, which was made up purely of six yellow eyes, and a long slit at the bottom of its 'face', which for now remained shut. It had four arms in all – tipped with curled fleshy claws – that waved around freely as though there were no bones at all. Two long strips of flesh rose up from its head like ears, twitching around as though sensing for prey.

"A word of advice," came Chekhov's croaky voice from somewhere within the monster. "Never attack until you know what your opponent is!"

The monster then began to move forward, its body shuffling like a snake across the wood-panelled floor towards her. Yuffie waited until Chekhov was almost within reach. When she was close enough, Yuffie pushed herself off the wall, releasing her hold on the spear, and flew towards Chekhov.

Once again, Yuffie had underestimated the power of Chekhov's chosen transformation. While Yuffie was still in midair, Chekhov closed her eyes momentarily, before snapping them open in a fierce, staring glare. The glare sent powerful shockwaves down Yuffie's spine, and she felt her entire body freeze, locked in a state of pure, terrifying dread.

With Yuffie's body locked in that position, Chekhov reached out with her long, flailing arms. The arms seemed to stretch out longer than thought possible, and grabbed onto Yuffie's arms. Yuffie cried as she felt a painful sting around her wrists, but she could do nothing to fight them off in her frozen state. The glare froze her long enough for Chekhov to throw her right over her head. When she let go, Yuffie went tumbling to the floor, skidding painfully across the ground.

_Arrrgh…_ Yuffie thought painfully as she lay stunned on the floor. _She's very strong for such a weak-looking monster._ It was no surprise. She was the third of the Sacred Gods after all. Slowly feeling returned to Yuffie's body, the power of Chekhov's magical stare wearing off.

Struggling to her knees, Yuffie looked down at her wrists. They were red, burning from the grip Chekhov had had on her. It must have been some form of poison – no doubt a hidden kind of attack. Yuffie glanced up at Chekhov, using the momentary pause to quickly think of some kind of strategy that could defeat Chekhov. With that magical stare she could not attack straight on – she would be frozen again in a matter of seconds. The only materia she had on her was Earth, Steal (for enhancing her already superb stealing abilities), and MP Absorb – Wait!

Yuffie reached behind her and slowly pulled out the Steal materia from the back of her belt, where she kept it stored for emergency use. She had used the materia when she took the materia from the others – using its abilities to give her extra speed and lightning-fast reflexes to move fast so no one could see that she had been thieving. Although she had never thought of it before, Yuffie realised that Chekhov, and the others, must have used some kind of Transform materia to change their bodies. If she could just steal that materia, its power would become ineffective and Chekhov would return to her natural form again.

With this plan in mind, Yuffie stood up and faced Chekhov. "All right then," she said, the confidence beaming in her voice. "It's time to fight magic with magic." She raised the Steal materia into the air. "STEAL!"

The yellow ball flashed brightly in her hands, and a yellow wave spread down Yuffie's hand and into the rest of her body. Her entire body seemed to glow yellow for a second, instilling her with its magical energies. By the time the glow faded, Yuffie lowered her arm and began to run towards Chekhov. She ran fast, and was gaining speed the more she ran.

Chekhov did try to stop her with her Stare Down glance, but now Yuffie was moving too fast. Her enhanced reflexes allowed her to dodge the stare as it fired out from Chekhov's eyes, and within a second Yuffie was beside her, moving behind her.

Before Chekhov could react, Yuffie punched out with her fist at Chekhov's back. Her hand pierced the tight flesh of the monster and sank into her back. Chekhov screeched, but by the time the sound left her throat Yuffie had already withdrawn her hand. And in her hand she held another ball of materia – the Transform materia that Chekhov had kept hidden, keeping up her transformation.

The materia now gone, Chekhov's body began to steam and smoke. The flesh melted away, turning into hot steam that rose into the air. Chekhov then stood up from the hot cloud of steam, her face utterly shocked at how she had been defeated. Never would she have thought that Yuffie would think to use her ninja abilities to steal the Transform materia from her. It was simple, but incredibly ingenious.

"I can't believe you beat me…" she gasped, startled.

Yuffie threw the materia up into the air, and caught it again in her hand. "Of course!" she said with a grin. She placed her newly acquired Transform materia in her pocket, claiming it as her own as proof of her victory. Then she turned towards Staniv, who had been watching the whole thing.

He also looked impressed. Meeting Yuffie's gaze he smiled, and gave a few light-hearted claps. "This should be interesting…!" he commented. "It's been a long time since I've had a chance to use my powers to their fullest…"

Without saying anything more, Staniv then turned and walked out of the door, heading up to his own room on the floor above. Yuffie didn't even wait for her anxiety to hit her – and followed him straight up.

_I'll do it…_ she thought. _I'll win and make it to the fifth floor!_

* * *

**Emerald:** And so we're heading up to the fourth floor! I wonder if anyone's noticed that I changed the way I battle a little. I've tried to make it a little more adventurous – Yuffie hanging on the ceiling, Cid catching her with his spear. If you can't tell, it's because I watched Advent Children and saw that they are INCREDIBLY adventurous with their fighting. As such I will be employing a lot more adventurous tactics from now on – so the fighting sequences should be better. And no comments like 'SHE CAN'T DO THAT!' Watch Advent Children and tell me they don't defy the laws of gravity! 


	4. Trial Four: Staniv

**Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment **

**Emerald Princess of Vernea**

**Chapter Four**

The door to the fourth floor was already open, and Yuffie stood silently in front of it. Strangely, it was not her nervousness that was keeping her from walking through the door. Instead she was taking a moment to think about how she had progressed so far up the levels of the pagoda.

Taking a deep breath to quell her growing excitement, Yuffie finally stepped onto the fourth floor. The boards creaked lightly beneath her boots, and Yuffie jumped slightly at the noise. Perhaps she was more nervous than she had first thought. Or maybe because it was so quiet this high up. There were no windows so she could not see or hear anything from the village outside, that the sudden noise had surprised her. Or so she had told herself.

The shadows of the others moved past her, and Yuffie realised that the noise had caused her to freeze, standing just by the doorway. Tifa managed to give the girl an encouraging look as she walked past, before walking on to stand with the others at the back of the room.

Staniv was waiting for Yuffie. He was standing where she had expected – in the spot that designated him as one of the Sacred Gods. He greeted her with another warm smile, and Yuffie felt her nerves ease off again. He gestured to the middle of the room, and Yuffie walked over and stood in the centre.

If only her father could see her now, she thought. No doubt her father was sitting somewhere at home, wasting himself away in the remains of what a glorious village Wutai had once been. Thinking that made Yuffie angry, and made her more determined than ever to make it to the top – if just to show her father that there were still honourable fighters left in Wutai.

Staniv watched her curiously as she glared up at the ceiling. He watched her, thinking, before his face slowly creased into a knowing smile. To bring Yuffie's attention back to the task at hand, he clapped his hands loudly. It got the desired effect and Yuffie was broken from her trance, and looked at Staniv.

"The rule is the best fighter on each floor will be your opponent…" he said loudly, so everyone could hear him. "Although it's a five-storied pagoda, the fourth floor is the highest… In other words, no one has ever defeated me --- " He patted his chest firmly. "Master of Weaponry! You still want to try…?"

Yuffie nodded. "Just come on!" she said fiercely.

Again Staniv smiled his approving smile. "I like you!" he said. He liked Yuffie's fierce determination, her arrogance, and her self-confidence in her abilities. He truly believed that she was a worthy opponent. Even so, as much as he admired her, he was not going to go easy on her. Not one bit. "Now watch…" he said, closing his eyes. "Weapon Change!"

Staniv then raised his hand into the air and, instead of smoke rising up from the floor, smoke began to seep from the palm of his hand. Yellow smoke this time, forming a thick cloud around Staniv's entire lower arm. The smoke twirled and swirled around him, seeming to solidify with each second that passed. The smoke suddenly flashed brightly, like a bolt of lightning bursting from the inside, and in that flash, the smoke took shape.

The smoke transformed into a weapon, which seemed appropriate since Staniv was the 'Master of Weaponry'. The smoke had become a large metal ball, a very heavy metal ball, attached to a long metal chain that Staniv held in his hand. Staniv flicked his wrist so that the ball went swinging around his head, and what remained of the smoke swept down the remainder of Staniv's body, rapidly transforming him before Yuffie's eyes. Remembering Chekhov's stern warning from the previous battle, Yuffie did not attack. Instead she waited, waiting to see what Staniv would become.

Staniv transformed into a very sturdy, muscular monster, covered from head to foot in incredibly thick skin that looked almost like rock. Its head was merged into the rest of its body, visible only as a rising lump with small eyes peering out from the flesh. Its legs widened towards its feet, turning from rocky grey to a mottled green colour, standing like tree trunks on the wood. In the middle of its chest was a deep red glow like a gem, not materia, much to Yuffie's dismay.

All the while, the metal ball on the chain continued to swing round and round, gradually picking up speed as the monster swung it round. Yuffie stepped back, careful to avoid the ball. She did not want to be hit by that kind of weapon. A weapon like Cloud's sword might have the strength to deflect a weapon like that, but her shuriken would be next to useless defending her against that.

"Your trial begins now!" Staniv said, his voice, like Chekhov's, croaking from deep within the monster's form. Monster tongues weren't often designed for speaking human language, and it was a miracle that Staniv and the others were even capable of twisting their tongues as such.

Staniv then charged forward, swinging the ball with all his might at Yuffie. Yuffie responded by jumping up out of the way, leaping as high as she could over Staniv as he charged past. He could move surprisingly fast considering his monster's build and form, and he would have killed her if she had stayed where she was. Well, not killed, since that was against the rules, but she would certainly have had some painful bruises to go with her still-burning wrists.

Staniv continued to charge, his forward momentum carried on by the swinging of the ball. It took him a good few steps to stop, the ball narrowly missing Vincent's head. Cait also had to duck, stepping back off the top of the Mog and clinging to its back as the ball swung around. When Staniv had turned away he scrambled back on top of the Mog, and put the megaphone to his mouth.

"Watch it, you idiot!" the cat snapped angrily. "You almost killed me!"

Staniv ignored the cat, and focused his attention back on Yuffie as she stood at the other end of the room. He thought she was stalling, perhaps even frozen with fear, but he would be wrong to think that. Yuffie was once again remembering her advice from Chekhov. She wanted Staniv to make the first moves, so she could size up his strengths and weaknesses.

His strength would be… well… his strength. His monster was designed to carry heavy weaponry – those huge muscles were able to swing the ball around for hours if need be. The disadvantage lay in the fact that his body was not designed for sharp turns and quick stops. Staniv seemed to use the monster's momentum for his attacks. If she could be quick enough, then she would be able to dodge the ball. Of course, her shuriken would not do much damage.

She had to stop thinking for a moment, as Staniv had reached her again. The monstrous ball went swinging, aiming for her head. Yuffie ducked the first swing and then jumped over the second, landing on Staniv's head for a second before leaping to the other side of the room. She tried to strike him with her weapon as she passed, but, as she expected, the weapon barely did any damage to him. Staniv on the other hand, still carried by his momentum, ran forward more. His weapon crashed into the wall, breaking the wooden panels. It then became lodged, stuck in the wall.

Yuffie landed again, and turned to face Staniv as he struggled to pull his weapon out of the wall. She had to use his lack of speed to her advantage, but how could she when he had the stamina to go on for hours? She could not tire him out. She tried to think of another way she could defeat him. He was the Master of Weaponry, which meant that his weapon could be the key to his defeat. There was no way she could destroy the ball… but if she could get it away from him…

As Staniv continued to struggle, Yuffie held out her shuriken in front of her. She peered straight down the line, her eyes focusing on the metal chain that Staniv used to hold the metal ball. It was strong but much thinner than the ball. If she used enough of her own momentum, the shuriken should cut through the metal. She hoped so, at least. The shuriken was not a weapon designed to cut through metal, but it was her only chance.

Staniv finally got his weapon free of the wall and turned to face Yuffie. The girl had her shuriken in her right hand, and was swinging her arm upwards, round and round, building up strength in her arm for a strong throw. Staniv, not realising what she was up to, began to swing his ball again. He knew the shuriken could not damage his body.

When enough momentum had been gathered, Yuffie yelled as she released the shuriken, sending it flying forward through the air. The shuriken spun like a top as it zipped through the air, heading towards the chain. It missed the first time – knocked away by the metal ball as it spun round and round. But the momentum that Yuffie had built up kept the shuriken spinning, and it turned around like a boomerang and headed straight back to Staniv.

This time the shuriken hit with dead-on accuracy. There was a bright flash of light as the shuriken blades connected with the metal of the chain. Yuffie held her breath. Seconds later a loud crack could be heard, and the ball went flying up into the air. It flew up close to the ceiling before falling back down to the ground, landing with a thud so heavy that it dented the ground. The shuriken meanwhile, flew back to Yuffie's hand. She reached up and caught it gracefully, and looked back at Staniv.

The monster had disappeared the moment the ball had become detached from him. Staniv was left standing, his palm open, and his eyes wide in sheer amazement at his own defeat. "Wh, what…?" he gasped. He looked at Yuffie.

Yuffie grinned. "Of course!" she exclaimed.

"Splendid!" came a voice behind her. Yuffie spun to face the door, just as Gorky walked in. He smiled at her as he walked in, a look of pride in his eyes. "Your level and skills have improved…"

As he walked in, another figure stepped through the door. It was Shake. "Oh, ho! You might not be as much of a child as we thought you were!" he said. Chekhov walked through the door after him.

"Of course. If WE lost to her…" She let the sentence hang, and looked over at Staniv.

Staniv looked back at Chekhov, before slowly nodding his head. He took a step backwards to join his three comrades, and looked at Yuffie. "You have defeated four of our best," he said. "But now you will have to face him……!"

He gestured over towards the last door at the end of the room – the door that led up to the last floor of the pagoda. Yuffie stared at it, feeling a lump grow in her throat. She stared as Staniv, Chekhov, Shake and Gorky all walked towards the door, heading up the stairs to announce her arrival on the last floor.

Yuffie waited a few moments, still trying to catch her breath. The last four battles had tired her out tremendously, and her wrists were still heavily aching. She was startled when she felt someone grab her wrists, and as she looked up she saw that Aeris was standing beside her, a bottle in her hand. Aeris poured the clear liquid onto her wrists, and as Yuffie looked down, she saw the wounds begin to fade. The burning sensation also subsided. Aeris did not use the whole bottle – just enough so that Yuffie's wounds did not hurt so much.

"You sure you're ready to go through with this, Yuffie?" she asked.

Yuffie didn't know what to say at first. She was filled with a range of emotions – excitement, anxiety, and confidence, doubt… all these things were running through her mind at once. She could not let the others see this, so she smiled and said, "Of course!"

Yuffie led the way through the door – up the last set of stairs leading to the final floor. The door was open, and Yuffie could see into the final room. She could see two of the Sacred Gods standing by the wall, watching her, and waiting for her to step through. But Yuffie stood frozen at the door, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head she saw Cloud standing behind her. He gave her a gentle nod. Yuffie smiled briefly and nodded back, before she walked confidently into the room.

She strolled bravely in, her face set and ready. She could feel the gazes of the other Sacred Gods as they stood at the four corners of the room, watching her as she walked in. She did not look back at them, and kept her eyes firmly fixed on where she was going. When she reached the middle she turned. Then, finally, she raised her eyes to her opponent.

She jumped.

"D, …Dad?"

Before her, to her utter amazement, was her father. Lord Godo, the leader of the people of Wutai. Yuffie stared. He was dressed in a white kimono, covered by a purple tunic and kimono combined. It was easy to see that Godo and Yuffie were related. He had the same jet-black hair and keen eyes – eyes that seemed to smile at Yuffie as he saw her shocked expression.

"I'm glad you made it this far, Yuffie!" he said with a laugh.

Yuffie shook her head. She could not believe what she was seeing. Her father… Her useless, good-for-nothing father… He was the fifth Sacred God? The most powerful of them all?

"Why, why are you……"

Godo raised a hand, silencing her. "I'll answer you by having you try your skills against me!" he announced. He readied his fists, glaring at his daughter. "Hold nothing back," he warned. "Come as if you're trying to kill me! If you don't… then I'll have to kill you!"

"H…hey!"

Godo didn't listen. "What are you doing!" he demanded. "OMNI-Change! ……!"


	5. Trial Five: Godo, Master of the Gods

**Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment **

**Emerald Princess of Vernea**

**Chapter Five**

The fifth floor was meant to be the hardest – the toughest of all the Pagoda Trials. The floors below were merely a preamble – a test to see if a person was worthy enough to take on the master of the pagoda. The four Sacred Gods on those floors were meant to test a warrior on every ability – power, speed, magic, and weapons. All of these were tested to their absolute limits.

Until the day that Yuffie Kisaragi climbed the pagoda, very few had made it to the very top. No one had made it to the fifth floor before – all of them defeated at some point by the Gods on the lower floors. Now, for the first time in Wutai's present history, Yuffie had made it to the topmost floor, and was locked in fierce combat with the Fifth Sacred God. Her own father.

Through the power of 'Omni-Change' Lord Godo had transformed himself into a large and powerful beast. Human-like in shape, he stood on two long legs and had two long arms – each of which held a weapon in their hands. One was a sword, the other a kind of magical staff. The monster was clad in a peculiar red, yellow and grey outfit. His head was a mask with four different faces – each one a different colour.

What Yuffie learned as the battle went on was that each of the faces of Godo had different abilities. The majority of them attacked her – most often with his Beast Sword that tried to strike her wherever she ran. At times he would switch faces and use magic instead – sometimes healing himself from the many slashes she had been able to get in with her shuriken. More often than not he would attack her – using his gravitational powers to try and force her into a corner where he could hit her.

The whole point of Godo's form was to incorporate all of the tests that the other Gods had built up on the previous floors. Yuffie could feel herself being pushed to the best of her limits – dodging and attacking at the same time while still trying to defend herself.

She tried to counter with magic at one point. She stopped long enough to use the Earth-based materia she had stored in her armour. The entire pagoda had shook at that point, like an earthquake had hit Wutai. It had had little effect, since her father simply jumped out of the way.

Cloud and the others watched in awe as the battle ensued before them. This was the fiercest battle they had seen so far in the entire pagoda. A battle between father and daughter – this was more than just a simple battle for glory. Rage burned in Yuffie's eyes as she fought – a rage she had not shown in the previous battles. She was tired, worn out and frustrated, but she was delving deeper for even more strength, giving her all to fight her father. It was an amazing sight to see, even for the Sacred Gods who stood and observed from the side.

Yuffie jumped away as Godo made another powerful slash with his sword, the yellow face he was using grinning manically, laughing through empty eyes. The sword continued to rise and Yuffie's shuriken, which was spinning through the air as she jumped back, was struck. The blade cut through the weary metal, slicing through the centre of the weapon with surprising ease.

Yuffie fell onto the floor, landing on her back and skidding across the panelled floor. The remains of her shuriken clattered on the floor beside her, sliding on the wood until they stopped beside her head. Yuffie looked around rapidly at the two remains of her weapon – two boomerang-shaped spikes on either side.

She looked up at her father, who was standing above her. The yellow face leered down at her, the sword held high. As Yuffie watched Godo raised the sword higher, preparing to bring it down on her. He was truly prepared to kill his daughter if she did not fight back, and Yuffie knew that.

As the sword came down, Yuffie grabbed hold of the two pieces of her broken shuriken and rolled back, pushing her body up so that she flipped out of the way of the sword. The Beast Sword came crashing down on the ground where she had lain, cutting deep into the wood. But Yuffie was now clear of the sword, standing a metre in front of it. She held the two halves of the shuriken in both hands.

Before Godo could lift his sword out of the floor Yuffie charged forwards. She leaped onto the blade and ran up it, balanced on the thin edge of the sword as she ran for her father's face.

Yuffie gave a heart-felt, furious cry as she struck. Her hands zipped madly in front of her, the blades of her weapon scratching into the mask of Godo. By the time the sword was clear and up in the air Yuffie had done a lot of damage – jumping around on her enlarged father's shoulders to reach all sides of his monstrous face. There were many slash marks on him now – deep cuts where the eyes should have been.

As the sword rose up, Yuffie took her chance and leapt off her father's left shoulder. She used the sword as a support as she landed and pushed herself off, flying up through the air to the other side of the room.

When she landed, she turned to face Godo. His mask head was turning steadily round, as though trying to see what damage she had caused to his other faces. Yuffie took this as her chance to defeat her father for good, and claim her place at the top of the pagoda.

"Die!" she shouted angrily, holding up one piece of her shuriken.

Her father looked around, but already too late. Yuffie was running forward, yelling a loud battle cry as she charged towards him. When she was near enough Yuffie jumped up into the air, crossing both her arms in front of her, throwing the two-shuriken parts in front of her.

Both the blades zipped through the air at top speed, heading towards the mask that covered her father's face. They struck with all of Yuffie's might, slicing through the material that made them. They came free and flew back through the air and into Yuffie's hands, just as she landed on the ground again. Yuffie held them up, panting heavily, and looked at Godo.

He stood frozen before her. His sword was still in his hand, the chain on his staff swinging gently as it slowed to a stop. The yellow head was fixed firmly on Yuffie, the empty eyes peering out at her from the darkness.

Then, as Yuffie watched, the mask started to fall apart. The deep cuts caused by the two blades caused the mask to split into the four large sections of an 'X'. The pieces fell away and tumbled onto the floor, steam already beginning to rise from them.

Lord Godo, or rather, the beast that he had become, now stood headless in the middle of the pagoda. The sword was slowly lowered to the ground, beginning to steam and disintegrate as Godo lowered it. The staff followed, disappearing like magic into the air. Then the rest of the monster's body began to disappear, the magic that transformed him now evaporated like the steam. Yuffie watched for just a few seconds more, before fatigue overcame her and she fell back onto the floor, safe in the knowledge that she had won.

By the time the monster's body had faded completely, Yuffie's fathered reappeared from the cloud of steam. Sweat poured profusely down his skin as he stepped forward towards his daughter, but before he could get any closer he too fell over, landing on his back.

The two lay there for a minute or two, breathing and panting heavily as they tried to get their breath back. Every ounce of fighting strength had been completely exhausted from both of them, leaving them breathless. Yuffie stared at the ceiling, tears of exhaustion rolling slowly from the corners of her eyes and trickling to her ears. Over the sound of her tired breaths she could hear her father, panting hard.

"O…old coot…" she said faintly, speaking through deep, heavy breaths. It made her a little dizzy to talk. "N……ot… bad…"

On the floor in front of her, Godo tried to lift his head and look at his daughter. He could only see her feet, and her right arm, still clinging to the broken piece of the shuriken that he himself had shattered. He put his head back on the floor. "You've… …also… …improved…" he breathed.

A small smile twitched in the corner of Yuffie's mouth. All the rage that had filled her during the fight had been completely spent up, and she felt a little foolish. In fact she felt very foolish, and embarrassed. Fighting her father had been a very awakening experience, for she had seen a power in her father she had never seen before. Yet, she had defeated him, even if he had given as well as he got. The smile on her face widened, and a small chuckle escaped her throat.

"Hah… ha, ha……"

"…Heh, heh……" Godo chuckled as well, thinking the same that Yuffie had. Yuffie raised her head and looked at her father, and saw that he was looking back at her with the same grin. They chuckled further, until finally their giggles erupted into laughter.

"Ha ha haaaaaa……!" Yuffie laughed heartily.

"Waha haaaaa……!" Godo laughed in response, competing with Yuffie's joyful laughter. There they continued to laugh, their anger finally transformed into joy.

* * *

By the time the laughter and the tears, which had fallen freely during their excessive fits of joyous laughter, had subsided, Yuffie stood firmly in the fifth floor. She looked firmly at her father, who was eyeing her up and down with strange pride. It had been a long time since he had seen his daughter since her departure all those months ago, and he wanted to see what kind of woman she had become. It was clear she had gained in strength, so he thought, maybe it was time she got her inheritance as the daughter of the village leader. 

"It's time I gave this to you, Yuffie…" he said. He delved into the pocket of his kimono and pulled out a shinyred ball of materia, and held it out. "This is Leviathan Materia. Take it."

He chucked it through the air, and Yuffie caught it firmly in her hands. She looked down at it. It was quite cold in her hands, and inside she could see a swirling mass of bubbles. And there, faintly, she could see the faint figure of something swimming deep inside it. The body of Leviathan, the ancient sea serpent, and sacred to the people of Wutai. Yuffie grinned, and quickly pocketed it. This summon was hers.

"But, Lord Godo," Staniv protested, seeing Yuffie pocket the materia. "The Leviathan Materia should only be given to the person who conquers and takes over this Pagoda. That is our custom…"

Yuffie growled deep within her throat. Wutai had not changed a bit since she had left. She had hoped maybe they would have seen sense during her absence, but, it seemed, nothing had changed. "CUSTOM, CUSTOM, CUSTOM…" she said loudly, not caring to quieten her voice. "I'm so sick of hearing that! It's so stupid!"

"Silence, Miss Yuffie!" Gorky ordered her sternly, not prepared to have Yuffie criticise their customs any further.

Yuffie ignored Gorky, and spun around to face the rest of the Sacred Gods, whom were all standing in the corners of the room still. "Then what 'bout all the rest of you?" she demanded. She turned to look from Gorky to Shake, and then from Chekhov to Staniv. Although she respected their strength, seeing the way they still clung to ancient customs made her feel sick. "You have all that power… Are you satisfied being cooped up in this tower?"

"Yuffie…!" Lord Godo gasped, shocked by his daughter's blasphemous outburst.

Yuffie spun around again, and pointed at him. "You too, dad…!" she shouted. "Just because you lost the war! And turning Wutai into a place like this!"

Godo did not reply immediately. The joyful laughter had vanished from his daughter's face now, once again replaced by the anger that had caused her to leave Wutai. He also knew what she sought.

"…What do you want to say?" Chekhov asked Yuffie.

"You turned Wutai into a cheesy resort town peddling to tourists…" Yuffie said. She clenched her fists tightly, gripping hard onto the sides of her broken shuriken. "How dare you? Da-Chao and Leviathan are ashamed!"

Godo stared at his daughter, looking at her eyes. They were so filled with anger, he could not describe it. "…" he mumbled silently, thinking hard. He closed his eyes and looked down at the ground. He had often thought that Yuffie did not care for Da-Chao or Leviathan, but it was clear that they meant a lot to her. So much in fact, that she hated anything that disgraced them.

At the back of the room, Shake, Master of Speed, folded his arms and closed his eyes. "She IS a kid," he said simply. He was still annoyed at being defeated by someone like Yuffie, his convictions of her being a child confirmed by her actions.

"Wh, what did you say…?" Yuffie snapped. She hadn't forgotten her battle with him, either, and the way he had been so sarcastic. He longed to knock off his human head as well as his penguin head, even if her weapon was broken.

"Yuffie!" Godo's powerful voice boomed suddenly. Yuffie was silenced instantly, and slowly turned to face her father. His face was firm, and she expected him to shout at her for her insubordination. But, to her surprise, he sighed heavily and looked down at the ground. "Forgive me…" he said solemnly. "It's all my fault…"

The Four Sacred Gods all jumped back in surprise. They were horrified to hear Lord Godo, their leader, come out with a statement like that. To even suggest that it was his fault that Wutai was as it was impossible to think of. "What are you saying, Lord Godo!" Staniv asked, voicing everyone's question.

Godo nodded. "Losing the war… turning Wutai into this. It was all my fault…"

"Lord Godo!" protested Chekhov.

"Silence!" Godo commanded. Chekhov shut her mouth and hung her head, stepping back into line along with Staniv. Godo stepped forward, to Yuffie. "Yuffie… I am the same now as I was before when I wanted the war. But, after I lost the war, I began to think… Is strength, only for defeating the enemy? …Or just something to show off to others…? Might begets might. That's the same way as the Shinra…"

"……" Yuffie muttered.

"I knew you were looking for Materia for the good of Wutai," Godo continued. "But, the reason I hide my strength now, is also for the good of Wutai… And now, I realise both are necessary… Strength without determination means nothing. And determination with strength is equally useless…!"

"Lord Godo…" said Staniv sadly, hearing his master's words. Never before had Lord Godo sounded so solemn and so regretful over the way Wutai had become.

Godo looked over Yuffie's shoulder, to where Cloud and the rest of the team were all standing and watching. "You there," he said, waving his hand at Cloud. "Please take Yuffie with you! I perceive that you all have both determination and strength!"

Cloud looked around at the others, looking for their approval. After all, Yuffie had tricked them once before. Could they put their faith in her again? As he looked around, the others thought carefully, before slowly nodding their heads. Apart from this one lapse that tempted her to steal their materia from them, Yuffie had proven herself to be a valuable ally.

"Well, just tell yourself you're on a big ship, and leave the rest to ol' Cid!" Cid said, hoisting his spear up onto his shoulder. That remark got a rather sickened look from Yuffie, who despised ships of any kind.

Getting the approval from everyone, Cloud nodded his head. "All right, I don't mind," he said finally.

"Go, Yuffie!" Godo said to his daughter. "For the sake of strengthening Wutai!"

"Dad…" Yuffie said, feeling a little sorry for her father. All this time she had tormented him and blamed him for Wutai's failings… Now she knew that he cared for Wutai as much as she did.

"I'll take care of the Five Sacred Gods until you return!" her father assured her. "Go! And come back alive!"

Yuffie stared at her father a few moments more. A smile then spread on her face, and she stood up straight. "…… Of course!" she said happily. She would go, for her father, and return with the strength to restore Wutai to its former glory!

With everything sorted, everyone began to exit the top level of the pagoda, following the outer route around the room and through the door. The Four Sacred Gods, plus Cloud and the others, all left the room, leaving Yuffie and Godo alone in the room. When Staniv left the room Yuffie bowed to her father, and headed for the door.

"Yuffie, wait a minute," Godo said suddenly. Yuffie stopped and turned back. Godo looked around carefully at the room, making sure that everyone had gone, before he stood close to Yuffie's ear. "The Materia they all have…" he whispered. "After their battle is over, you think they'll still want it?"

Yuffie jumped back. "Dad…!" she gasped, astonished.

A wide grin spread on Godo's face. He stood up and pointed at the door. "Go!" he commanded her. "Survive till the end! And return! With the Materia!"

Yuffie laughed happily. "Heh, heh… you bet!" she said.

* * *

When Yuffie finally came strolling out of the door, Cloud turned to her. 

"So, now what?" he asked her.

Yuffie looked up at him, a wide, beaming grin on her face. "Now? We go all the way back down again!" she said.

"WHAT?" everyone shouted.

* * *

**Emerald:** Heh, sorry for the little addition at the end there. That was just something my friend ShadowYami and I thought of. We thought it was funny. 


End file.
